Ironing machine



Dec. 15, 1925- E. GRUENFELDT IRONING MACHINE Filed March 30, 1921 2 sheets sheet 1 l Nvan-rop.

ATTORNEY Dec. 15, 1925- v v v1.565.322

E. GRUENFELDT IRONING MACHINE Filed March so, 1921 2 sheets-sheet 2 INVENTOR E.Gruen/'e7dt- "*Wzm ATTORNEY FIG-2 Patented Dec. 15, 1925.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

EMIL GBUENFELDT, OF CLEVELAND, OHIO, ASSIGNOR TO THE HYDRAULIC STEEL COMPANY, OF CLEVELAND, OHIO, A CORPORATION 01' OHIO.

IRON ING MACHINE.

Application filed March 30, 1921.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EMIL GRUENFELDT, a citizen of the United States, residing at Cleveland, in the county of Cuyahoga and State of Ohio, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Ironing Machines, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings.

This invention relates to household ironing machines of the type in which articles are ironed by a heated shoe pressed against the articles carried forward by the roll.

An object of this invention is to simplify the actuating mechanism to obtain more e ficient operation and to enable the machine to be more cheaply manufactured.

A further object of this invention is to provide for the ironing of the edges of articles without increasing the number of parts or increasing the cost of manufacture.

A further object is to provide a combined cover and feed table for the machine which effectually protects the mechanism when not in use and forms a usable table.

A further objectis to improve the structure of the ironing shoe to obtain a more even distribution of heat throughout the surface thereof.

In the drawings forming a part of this specification Figure 1 is a perspective view of the machine from the open or edge ironing side.

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the machine showing the shoe in section and with a portion of the side frame broken away to show a portion of the operating and controlling mechanism.

Fig. 3 is a detail view showing the operating mechanism for the roll.

Fig. 4 is a sectional detail view of the ironing shoe.

Fig. 5 is a detail sectional view showing a modified form of ironing shoe.

The referred form of my improved machine s own in the accompanying drawings comprises side frame members 1 and 2 connected across the base by a forward channel spacer 3 and a rear channel spaoer 4. Intermediate spacer bars 5 and 6 connect the side frame members at' the front and rear. Mounted upon said intermediate spacers 5 and 6 is a receiving table 7. The rear portion of the side frame member 1 beneath the ironing members terminates substantially Serial- No. 456,978.

flush with the receiving table 7. The front portion 8 of side frame member 1 extends upwardly to the same height as the op osite frame member 2 and has a rearward y extendin arm 9. The ironing roll 10 is ]0l1I'I18. ed at one end in the upper portion of a sidemember 2 and at the opposite end in the rearwardly extending arm 9. Secured to the top of the side frame 2 and to the portion 8 of the side frame 1 is a plate 11 {grming a fixed shelf in front of the roller Movably mounted at the rear of the roll 10 is a heated ironing shoe 12 carried by arms 13 fixed to the ends thereof and extending forwardly and downwardly. The arms 13 are pivoted at 14to the side frame members 1 and 2 below the level of the table 7 and project on down to adjacent the base of the frame where they are engaged by forked actuating arms 15 carrying rollers 16 which bear against the arms 13. The actuatin arms 15 are fixed to a shaft 17 journale in the base of frame members 1 and'2. Centrally of the shaft 17 is an actu ating arm 18 fixed thereto. Pivoted to the spacer bar 4 at the rear of the machine and extendin forwardly beneath the shaft 17 is a peda lever 19 having a pedal 20 at the forward end thereof. Plvoted to the lever 19 and slidably connected to the actuating arm 18. is a rod 21 having an adjustable nut 22 at the u per end thereof. Between the nut 22 and the actuating arm 18 is mounted a compression spring 23. On the spacer bar 3 is mounted a keeper 24 provided with notches 25 to retain the lever '19 in different ad'usted positions. The keeper 24 is also prov1ded with a pivoted cross bar 26 held in place by a removable pin 27 which limits the upward movement of the lever, thus normally limitin the backward movement of the shoe 12. I it is desired to swing the shoe 12 backagreater distance for any purpose such as cleaning or making repalrs, the pin 27 may be removed, freeing the lever 19 and permitting movement of the shoe away from the roll to provide a wide clearance therebetween. 7

As will be readily seen from the drawing, the ivots 14 of the arms 13 are located forwargly of the ironing shoe 12 so that the shoe 12 willbe moved by gravity away from the roll when released. If desired, however, alight spring 28 may be connected between one of the arms 13 below its pivot and the frame.

Mounted upon the upper part of side frame member 2 is a gear. housing 29 in which is mounted the gearing for driving the roll 10. The shaft 30 of the roll projccts through the side frame member 2 into the housing and has fixed thereto a large spur gear 31 which meshes with a small gear 32 freely rotatable and slidable upon a fixed hollow shaft 33. The slidable gear 32 has clutch teeth 34 normally engaged with cor responding teeth on a worm wheel 35 rotatably mounted on fixed hollow shaft 33. The worm wheel 35 meshes with a worm 36 carried by a shaft 37 to the outer end of which is fixed a pulley 38. The shaft 37' is driven by means of a belt 39 running over the pulley 38 and over a corresponding pulley 40 on the shaft of an electric motor 41. For shifting the gear 32 into. and out of engagement with the worm wheel 35 a pin 42 is slidably mounted within the hollow shaft 33. The gear 32 has an extension 43 projecting out beyond the hollow shaft 33 having an enlarged inner diameter whereby an internal shoulder 44 is formed. The outer end of the extension 43 has a plug 45 removably secured therein. The pin 42 has an enlarged head 46 of greater diameter than the hollow shaft 33 whereby it is engageable with the internal shoulder 44 of the gear 32 within the extension 43. The slidable pin 42 is normally pressed inwardly to hold the gear 32 in engagement with the worm gear 35 by means ofa compression spring 47 acting against a cam lever 48 fixed to the end of the pin. The cam lever 48 has a handle 49 at one end and is engageable at its opposite end with the inclined face of a cam 50 fixed to the frame. Whenever it is desired to disconnect the clutch teeth 34 to free the roll from the driving gear, as for instance when it is desired to turn the roll backwards, the operator grasps the handle 49 and turns the cam lever 48 forwardly until the inclined face of the cam 50 forces the pin 42 outwardly against the plu 46 to free the gear 32 from the worm w eel 35.

Mounted on the frame in position to be engaged by one of the arms 13 when the shoe 12 is in engagement with the rolls is a normally open switch 51 located in the circuit of the driving motor 41 whereby the motor op erates only when the shoe 12 is in engaging position.

Pivoted in front of the roll above the shelf 11 is a combined feed table and cover plate 52 having side flanges 53 connected by pivots 54 with brackets 55 on the side frame members. Adjacent the pivots the plate 52 has an angular flange 56 which forms an upwardly extending guide lip over the roll 10 when the plate 52 is in feeding position.

The plate 52 has also a flange 57 for supporting it in feeding position on the shelf 11. The side flanges 53 support the plate 52 on the top of the side frames when in position covering the roll and shoe.

The hollow shoe 12 is provided with a longitudinal burner pipe 58 adjacent the bottom thereof from which is projected a gas flame against the metal face plate 59. The face plate 59 is tapered to gradually increase its thickness toward the top so that the heat conductivity of the plate increases toward the portion thereof farther from the flame which results in a more even distribution of heat throughout the plate.

In the modification shown in Fig. 5 the face plate 60 is provided with tapered internal ribs 61 which increase the heat distributing efiect due to the increasing conductivity of the plate, and also serve to gather radiant heat from the inside of the hollow shoe.

Operation. To start the machine the operator steps on the treadle 20 forcing the foot lever 19 down into engagement with one of the notches 25 in the keeper 24. The downward movement of the lever 19 compresses the spring 23 against the arm 18 on the shaft 17, which, acting through the arms 15 and 13 presses the ironing shoe 12 against the roll with a definite yielding pressure. If greater pressure is desired the lever 19 is shoved down into engagement with a lower notch in the keeper 24. Movement of the shoe 12 into engagement with the roll brings one of the arms 13 into contact with the contact switch 51, starting the motor. The work is then positioned on the upper portion of the roll and is carried over and between the roll and shoe and thence to the receiving shelf 7. When the lever 19 is released the shoe' 12 swings away from the roll under the action of gravity assisted by spring 28, if such spring is used. The re sulting movement of the arms 13 frees the switch 51 and stops the motor.

When it is desired to iron edges of articles such as neckbands, cuffs, or the like, the operator can pass such edges between the open ends of the shoe 12 and roll 10 on the side supported by the side frame member 1. The wide clearance between the frame 1 and the shoe 12 and roll 10 gives plenty of room for the manipulation of such articles.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim 1s:

1. In an ironing machine, a supporting frame, an ironing roll, an ironing shoe engageable with the roll, arms ivoted to the frame and rigidly connected to the shoe, said arms extending downwardly to adjacent the base of the frame, a crank shaft mounted in the base of the frame, crank arms fixed therelo and in engagen'lent with said pivoted eluding a foot lever movable in one direc- )0 arms, an operating arm fixed to said crank tion for pressing said shoe and roll toshaft, a pedal lever beneath said crank shaft gether, a stop for limiting the movement of and a snring connection between said lever the lever in opposite direction, said stop beand operating arm. ing removable to permit Wide separation of 2. In an ironing machine, a supporting said shoe and roll. 15 frame, an ironing roll, a heated shoe engage- In testimony whereof, I hereunto aflix my able with the roll, said roll and shoe being signature. normally in disengaging position, means in- EMIL GRUENFELDT. 

